The East Zenati languages (Blench, 2006) or Tunisian and Zuwara (Kossmann, 2013) are a group of the
Zenati Berber dialects spoken in
Tunisia
)
, image_map = Tunisia location (orthographic projection).svg
, map_caption = Location of Tunisia in northern Africa
, image_map2 =
, capital = Tunis
, largest_city = capital
, ...
and
Libya
Libya (; ar, ليبيا, Lībiyā), officially the State of Libya ( ar, دولة ليبيا, Dawlat Lībiyā), is a country in the Maghreb region in North Africa. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Suda ...
.
Maarten Kossmann
Maarten Kossmann (born 5 February 1966 in Zuidlaren, Netherlands) is a Dutch linguist
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and p ...
considers the easternmost varieties of Zenati dialects as transitional to
Eastern Berber, but they are quite different from the neighboring
Nafusi.
According to Kossmann, the
dialect cluster of Tunisian Berber and Zuwara is consisting of the varieties spoken in mainland Tunisia (
Sened (extinct),
Matmata and
Tataouine
Tataouine ( ber, Tiṭṭawin; ar, تطاوين) is a city in southern Tunisia. It is the capital of the Tataouine Governorate. The below-ground "cave dwellings" of the native Berber population, designed for coolness and protection, render the c ...
),
Jerba
Djerba (; ar, جربة, Jirba, ; it, Meninge, Girba), also transliterated as Jerba or Jarbah, is a Tunisian island and the largest island of North Africa at , in the Gulf of Gabès, off the coast of Tunisia. It had a population of 139,544 a ...
and
Zuwara
Zuwarah, or Zuwara or Zwara (Berber language: At Willul or Zwara, ) is a coastal Berber-speaking city in Libya.
Zuwara or At Willul is famous for its beaches and seafood. It is situated west of Tripoli and from the Tunisian border. It is the ...
, but not
Nafusi which is considered a dialect of
Eastern Berber.
[M. Kossmann]
The Arabic Influence on Northern Berber
p.24 (Brill, 2013)
Before Kossmann,
Roger Blench
Roger Marsh Blench (born August 1, 1953) is a British linguist, ethnomusicologist and development anthropologist. He has an M.A. and a Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge and is based in Cambridge, England. He researches, publishes, and work ...
(2006) considered East Zanati to be a
dialect cluster consisting of
Sened (extinct, including
Tmagurt),
Djerbi, Matmata (
Tamezret,
Zrawa &
Taujjut), and
Nafusi.
AA list
Blench, ms, 2006
References
Berber languages
Zenati languages
East Zenati languages
Berbers in Libya
Berbers in Tunisia
{{Berber-lang-stub